Delivering a Landmark Event, Wherever Duty Calls

By Carol Eggert
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Jul 26, 2016

For over 10,500 athletes from around the world, representing 206 countries competing in 35 sports, the Summer Olympics will mark the culmination of countless hours of grueling, physical training, fueled by determination and perseverance.

These are traits our military men and women know first-hand. The parallels between athletes and those who serve are unmistakable, and during the Olympics, these similarities become stronger still. Our military defenders naturally identify with their drive, both in the physical triumph over the limits of the human body, but also a bond forged by working toward a unified, national goal, one that manifests on a global stage. For those who’ve taken the oath to defend our nations, it is a respite from the reality of conflict and a reminder of the power of unity.

That is why I am so pleased that, for the first time ever, United States active duty and retired service members and their families worldwide will be able to view NBC Olympics’ streaming coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics from their personal computers and devices – all 4,500 hours of coverage. This will be provided at no cost to over 7 million members of the military community by Comcast NBCUniversal, in collaborative partnership with the NBC Sports Group, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Department of Defense Agencies and U.S. cable, satellite, and telco providers.

We are bringing the Olympics to our military community when and where they want it.

It’s an honor to be part of Comcast NBCUniversal on the eve of the Olympics, at a time when the company continues to set a precedent for hiring our service members and their spouses and putting their incredible talents to work. It’s one of our company’s greatest moments of pride, and military veterans from around Comcast NBCUniversal have contributed to bringing the Summer Games to life, from the game-changing Olympics technology we’ve engineered for the X1 platform, to the award-winning storytelling that NBCUniversal delivers each and every day.

Few events unify the world like the Olympic Games, and it is only fitting that we make them accessible for those who have sworn an oath to defend our country.

I am so proud of the work that teams from the NBC Sports Group, the Defense Media Activity, Defense Information Systems Agency, the Exchange and DHI Telecom (an Exchange Internet, mobile and IPTV provider) did over the past months to make this service a reality.